Grow Heathrow

{{Infobox building

| name = Grow Heathrow

| image = TG_Pumpkin.jpg

| caption = Growing pumpkins

| map_type = London

| address = Vineries Close, Sipson, West Drayton UB7 0JH London

| coordinates = {{coord|51.4900715|-0.4580583|display=inline,title}}

| opened_date = {{start date|2010|03|01|df=yes}}

| closing_date = {{end date|2021|03|08|df=yes}}

| status = Evicted

| website = {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160627184442/http://www.transitionheathrow.com/ |date=27 June 2016}}

}}

Grow Heathrow was a land squat and community garden in Sipson, west London. It was occupied in 2010 by local people concerned about the possibility of the expansion of Heathrow Airport. It was part of the Transition Network.{{cite news

| last = England

| first = Charlotte

| date = 2017-07-13

| title = Inside Grow Heathrow: the UK's most famous protest camp

| url = https://www.huckmag.com/perspectives/activism-2/grow-heathrow/

| work = Huck Magazine

| access-date = 2019-03-21

}} Half of the site was evicted in 2019 and the other half was evicted in 2021.{{Cite web |title=London: Grow Heathrow getting evicted |url=https://en.squat.net/2021/03/08/london-grow-heathrow-getting-evicted/ |access-date=2022-08-07 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=2021-03-08 Grow Heathrow eviction - Images {{!}} MARK KERRISON {{!}} Photojournalist |url=https://www.markkerrison.com/gallery/2021-03-08-Grow-Heathrow-eviction/G0000BtdFso_8fro/ |access-date=2022-08-07 |website=www.markkerrison.com}}

Community

Around twenty people lived at Grow Heathrow. The squat was off-grid and low carbon. Electricity came from solar panels and wind turbines. There was a meadow with allotments which were used by both residents and local people. There were also three large greenhouses.{{cite news

| last = Genova

| first = Alexandra

| date = 2018-09-19

| title = Inside the Off-the-Grid Ecovillage Fighting London's Airport Expansion

| url = https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2018/09/heathrow-airport-protest-off-the-grid-community-england/

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190324131650/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2018/09/heathrow-airport-protest-off-the-grid-community-england/

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = March 24, 2019

| work = National Geographic

| access-date = 2019-03-21

}}

The project stated four main aims:

To further the Heathrow villages as an iconic symbol of community resistance to the economic, ecological and democratic crises.
To develop and promote community and resource autonomy to support long-term community resilience
To establish replicable structures of organisation, which could provide a model for future non-hierarchical, consensus-based communities.
To root the grassroots radical values of the 3rd runway resistance in the Heathrow villages for the long term{{cite web

| title = Grow Heathrow

| url = https://www.diggersanddreamers.org.uk/communities/existing/grow-heathrow

| work = Diggers and Dreamers

| location = London

| access-date = 2019-03-21

}}

Legal struggles

Alongside four other squats, the project was raided by the Metropolitan Police 24 hours before the 2011 Royal Wedding. There were no arrests.{{cite news |last=Laville |first=Sandra |date=2011-04-28 |title=Police raid five squats before royal wedding |work=Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/apr/28/police-raid-squats-royal-wedding |access-date=2019-03-21}}

File:John McDonnell Grow Heathrow at Court-4.jpg

Over four years after the occupation the owners, Lewdown Holdings Limited, took legal action on 23 September 2014 at Uxbridge County Court.{{cite news

|date = 2014

|title = Grow Heathrow, another legal challenge

|url = http://www.transitionheathrow.com/2014/09/4157/

|url-status = dead

|work = Grow Heathrow

|location = London

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160311042151/http://www.transitionheathrow.com/2014/09/4157/

|archive-date = 2016-03-11

|access-date = 2019-03-25

}} The owner was granted possession and the project successfully resisted bailiffs in 2015.{{cite news

|date = 2015

|title = Grow Heathrow successfully resists bailiffs

|url = http://www.transitionheathrow.com/2015/07/bailiffs-successfully-resisted/

|url-status = dead

|work = Grow Heathrow

|location = London

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150908053651/http://www.transitionheathrow.com/2015/07/bailiffs-successfully-resisted/

|archive-date = 2015-09-08

|access-date = 2019-03-25

}} Grow Heathrow launched an appeal against eviction which lasted into 2016.{{cite news

| last = Wiles

| first = Rich

| date = 2015-11-30

| title = 'Grow Heathrow' community resists airport expansion

| url = https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2015/11/heathrow-community-resists-airport-expansion-151125053741840.html

| work = Al Jazeera

| location = London

| access-date = 2019-03-25

}}

During its legal struggles, Grow Heathrow was supported by the local MP for Hayes and Harlington and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell who said in 2017 “We need lawful spaces of protest with the values of education and community embedded in them; Grow Heathrow would be a great loss for my constituency in this crucial campaign year against Heathrow airport’s expansion.”{{cite news |last=Laville |first=Sandra |date=2017-06-29 |title=Grow Heathrow runway protest community given 14 days to leave site |work=Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/29/grow-heathrow-runway-protest-community-given-14-days-to-leave-site |access-date=2019-03-21}}

Eviction

In February 2019, the project made an urgent callout for support after losing a court case.{{cite news

| date = 2019-02-18

| title = Urgent support call-out as Grow Heathrow eviction looms

| url = https://freedomnews.org.uk/support-call-out-as-eviction-threat-looms-for-grow-heathrow/

| work = Freedom

| location = London

| access-date = 2019-03-21

}} An eviction attempt began on 26 February, which resulted in half the project being evicted and half remaining.{{cite news

| date = 2019-02-26

| title = Eviction of Grow Heathrow squatters begins

| url = https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-47371795

| work = BBC

| location = London

| access-date = 2019-03-21

}}{{cite news

| date = 2019-02-28

| title = Grow Heathrow halved

| url = https://freedomnews.org.uk/squatters-digest-grow-heathrow-halved-ciao-to-asilo/

| work = Freedom

| location = London

| access-date = 2019-03-25

}}

On the 8th of March 2021, another call for support against eviction was made. This eviction successfully displaced the remaining occupation, ending Grow Heathrow.

Grow Heathrow

Community

Legal struggles

Eviction

References

Further reading